Event Description

Walls everywhere. In 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell, there were fifteen border walls in the world. Now seventy walls divide rich countries from poor ones, major polluters from the victims of deep ecological crises. At America’s southern border. Palestine. Korea. Northern Ireland. Gated communities with security patrols. San Quentin. Auschwitz. Wall Street.

Often, we believe we know who we are because we know who we are not – the marginalized “others” of the world. We maintain these divisions with walls – between countries, against one another, and around our hearts. Some we can see; many are invisible.

Not all walls are negative. Some, like Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall or Washington’s Viet Nam Veteran’s wall, offer sites for communal grieving and healing.

Some, like our immune systems, are intelligent boundaries that recognize what we need and what we don’t, allowing in food and water and defending against toxins and microbes.

What is the difference between beneficial and harmful walls? What is trust? Can we dismantle the dysfunctional ones but respect the helpful ones? How could this help us in the grand project of healing the soul of the world?

Over the past 27 years we have learned how to create and maintain a community, a sacred space that honors our rich diversity, both in depth explorations and exuberant celebrations. We will sing, hear stories and poetry, engage in vibrant ritual, display our talents and beauty and eat wonderful food. We will support and inspire each other. Come! Bring yourself, your gifts, your passions, your struggles – and invite your fathers, brothers, sons and friends who you know would benefit from this conference.